Thirds to alexander davidson



(No Model.) 2 sheetssheet 1. L- L. WANDS.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 581,669. Patented Apr. 27, 1897.

WITNESSES: I [NI/EH70]? 4 TTOR uni (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. L.WANDS.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 581,669. Patented Apr. 27, 1897,

a 1 g I B y M 6%W2E A TTOHNEY lhvirn Srn'rns Fn'rnivr nines.

LUCIUS LAWSON XVANDS, OF IVIIITFIELD, NEW YORK, ASSIGN OR OF TIVO-TIIIRDS TO ALEXANDER DAVIDSON, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILWAY-SWiTCi-l.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,669, dated April2'7, 1897. Application filed December 23, 1895. Serial No. 573,140. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCIUS Lawsoor WANDs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of \Vhitfield, in the county of Ulster and State5 of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailway-Switches, of which the following is a specification, refer encebeing had to the accompanying drawin gs, forming a part thereof, inwhich similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to railway-switches; and the object thereof is toprovide an improved switch apparatus whereby the pivoted switch plate ortongue usually employed is rendered unnecessary, and a stationarycentral switch-plate, which is preferably located midway between therails of the track, is employed, and devices connected with the engineor a car which operate in connection with said switch-plate to turn theengine or car onto the switch or side-track; and with this and otherobjects in view the invention consists of the construction, combination,and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawings form a part, in which 0 Figure 1 is aplan view of a railway-switch involving my invention and showing alsothe wheels of one truck of a car and portions of the operatingmechanism; Fig. 2, a side view of the switch-plate which I employ; Fig.

3 5 3, a perspective view of the operating mechanism which is designedto be connected with a car or the engine of a train; Fig. 4, a side viewof said operating mechanism, and Fig. 5 an end View thereof.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, reference being madeto Fig. 1, A and B represent the rails of a main railway-track, and Gand D the rails of side-tracks at each side of the main track, and theinner rail D 5 of said side-tracks is carried across the main track, asshown at d, and the rails of each sidetrack and the main track arestationary and secured together in any desired manner, and the object ofemploying two side-tracks is to show the double operation of my improvedswitch-operating mechanism, as will hereinafter appear.

In the practice of my invention I provide a switch plate or bar G, whichis preferably flat and which is also preferably about level with thebase-flange of the railway-rails, and said switch-plate is placedcentrally between the rails of the main track and extends apredetermined distance from the switch, and the end thereof adjacent tothe switch is trian- 6o gular in form and provided with a central raisedtriangular block or piece 9 the side of which adjacent to the side-trackor switch is curved in line with the rails of the side-track and theopposite side being straight or in line with the rails of the maintrack, and the outer end of said triangular block or raised portion isbeveled or inclined at each side, as shown at 9 and provided with avertical edge g, and formed at the inner end of said triangular portionand the curved side thereof and on the switch-plate G is an incline 9which rises to a level with the adjacent rail of the main track, and onthe opposite side of said triangular block is a similar incline g, whichrises to a level with the cross-rail d of the switch. In thisarrangement of parts all the rails of the main track and theside-tracks, as hereinbefore stated, are rigidly secured in po* sition,as is also the switch-plate G, and the device or apparatus for switchinga car or a train onto one of the side-tracks is shown in Figs. 3, 4, and5.

This apparatus may be connected with the platform of a car or with anengine, and in said last-named figures H represents the platform of acar, and secured to the bottom thereof, adjacent to one of the trucks,the wheels of which are shown at h and the axles thereof at 72.2, is ahanger K, which is preferably of the form shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and inthe lower end of which are formed two vertical slots 7.1. In front ofthe hanger K are two hangers le the lower ends of which are united by across-barL,ou which are pivotally mount- 9 5 ed two levers M and m, theinner ends of which pass backwardly through the slots K, and secured tothe rear ends of each of said levers are wheels or other devices 0.

Supported in suitable bearings longitudi- I00 nally of the platform IIand below the same is a rod P, the inner end of which is provided with across-head R, with each end of which is connected a rod S, the lowerends of which are connected with the levers M and m, respectively, andsecured to the forward end of the rod P is an arm F, which extendsupwardly at the end of the platform or through a slot formed therein orthrough the bottom of the cab of the engine, as the'case may be.

As thus constructed it will be seen that by turning the arm F fromoneside to the other the rear ends of the levers M and m may be raised orlowered at the will of the operator, and the operation will be readilyunderstood from the foregoing description when taken in connection withthe accom panying drawings.

' If a car or engine provided with the switchin g apparatus hereinbeforedescribed be passing on the main track in the direction of the arrow a(shown in Fig. l) and it is desired to take the right-hand side-track,the arm T is operated so as to depress the lever M and with it the wheelor other devices 0 at the rear end thereof into contact with theswitch-plate G, and said wheel will strike the beveled side of thetriangular block or piece 9 and passing along the concave or curved sideof said block will ride up over the incline g and the car or engine willbe drawn onto the right-hand side-track, composed of the side rails Oand D, and in this operation the wheel or other device 0, connected withthe lever M, will ride up over the incline g and pass over the rail ofthe main track, as will be readily understood.

If it is desired to take the left-hand sidetrack, the arm T is notoperated until the car or engine has passed the switch of the righthandside-track, after which the arm T is operated so as to depress the leverm, and in this event the operation will be substantially that abovedescribed, the wheel or other device O and the end of the lever onpassing along the concave or curved surface of the block or piece g andup over the incline g and drawing the car or engine onto the lefthandside-track.

In the normal position of the parts the arm T is in a vertical positionand the levers M and m are held at the same height, and the wheels orother devices 0, at the rear ends thereof, are held above the rails ofthe tracks and do not come in contact with the switchplate G or theblocks or pieces formed thereon, and in this position but slightmovement of the arm T in either direction will operate the levers M andm, as hereinbefore described, and in practice I prefer to sup port theselevers in such manner that the lateral movement thereof will beimpossible, and for this purpose it is necessary that the hangers withwhich they are connected be strong and substantial and be rigidlysecured in position.

If it is thought necessary to operate the apparatus connected with thecar so as to prevent the car or engine from accidentally taking a switchor side-track, the arm T is operated so as to depress one of the leversM and m in such manner that the wheels or other devices 0 at the rearend thereof will move along the straight side of the triangular block orpiece g and up over the incline g across the cross-rail; but thisoperation and this feature of the construction is only to provide meansfor guarding against the accidental switching of a car or train and mayor may not be employed, as desired.

The depressible levers M and m and the wheels or other devices 0,connected with the rear ends thereof, are not absolutely essential, andother forms of operating devices may be employed in place thereof, andmy invention is not limited to the exact form, construction, andarrangement of parts herein described, and I therefore reserve the rightto make all such alterations therein and modifications thereof as fairlycome within the scope of the invention.

IIaving fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent In a railway-switch and means for operating thesame, the combination with ainain and a side track, of a switch plate orbar as G, the end of which is triangular in form, and provided with acentral raised triangular portion or block g and means connected withthe platform of a car or truck for operating the switch, consisting of ahanger K, in the lower end of which are formed two vertical slots 70,two hangers k adjacent to the hanger K, the lower ends of which areconnected by a cross-bar L, two levers M, and m, mounted on saidcross-bar, the inner ends of which pass backwardly through the slots 7;,wheels 0, mounted on the inner ends of said levers, a rod P, arrangedbelow the platform of the car, the inner end of which is provided with across-head R, rods S, connected with the ends of said cross-head, thesaid rods being also connected with the levers M, and m, and an arm F,secured to the forward end of the rod P, and extending upwardly throughthe bottom of the platform, said parts being constructed and adapted tooperate, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 20th day ofDecember, 1895.

LUOIUS LAW SON IVANDS.

lVitnesses: (J. Gnnsr,

L. M. MULLER.

